A promising future

It was summer, and the weather was scorching.

After one scene, Yan Ningke felt as though he had been fished out of the water. He gulped down two bottles of ice water before he came back to life.

"Ningke, your phone rang just now."

Yan Ningke took his phone from Wendy. "Thanks, sis."

"No problem. Check whether it's urgent. They called several times in a row."

Yan Ningke was just about to unlock his phone when a commotion suddenly broke out on set. He looked up.

"Ah! It's him! He's here!"

"Shao Yang is so handsome!"

Several girls whispered to one another, their eyes sparkling as they pointed at the man strolling in.

Yan Ningke could only think, What rotten luck!

What was he doing here?

"You didn't know?"

Hearing his mutter, Wendy explained, "The director invited him to make a cameo as a refined businessman. I have to say, Shao Yang's gentle, polished air really does suit a Chinese-style CEO."

Watching the man chat with everyone with practiced ease, Yan Ningke lowered his head and curled his lip in disdain.

What an act.

Wendy didn't notice. She sighed softly. "Our production really is moving up in the world. We can even afford Shao Yang now. I wonder how the director managed to get him."

Shao Yang had debuted as a child star. Back then, the Shao family had still been under the control of Shao Ke's parents, and as a member of the second branch, he had been forced to find another path.

By a twist of fate, Shao Yang had entered a children's modeling show, where a television director spotted him at first glance and invited him to appear in a commercial.

Unexpectedly, he became an overnight sensation.

Having found a new path, Shao Yang threw himself into the entertainment industry.

From a minor actor at the beginning to a leading man who could carry a production, he had won more awards than he could count before he even graduated from university.

He certainly had an established place in the acting world.

But the higher a person rose, the greater their ambitions became.

After what happened to Shao Ke's parents, the second branch, next in line, rose to prominence. They even joined forces with others to drive the helpless, lonely child out of the family home.

Even the younger cousin who had once been as meek as a lamb became a wild wolf waiting for his chance, ready to tear Shao Ke apart and devour him.

Shao Yang came from an elite family, after all. Even with his thriving entertainment career, he still knew that in the eyes of powerful old-money families, a celebrity was merely a performer with no power to speak of.

Only by standing at the very top could he earn the right to decide everything.

After what happened to Shao Ke's parents, the second branch's mismanagement had scattered the Shao family's shares, with Shao Ke holding the largest individual stake.

Those shares were precisely what Shao Yang had his eye on.

Everyone knew that Shao Ke's temperament had changed drastically after his injury. Aside from attending the occasional banquet, he shut himself away at home.

The second branch had tried many times, but they could never get him to budge. In the end, he even stopped allowing them to visit.

Left with no other option, Shao Yang resorted to an unconventional approach, recruiting the original owner of this body, a mere cannon fodder character, to steal confidential information so he could threaten Shao Ke into handing over his shares.

In the book, only after the original owner sent him the confidential information did Shao Yang discover that Shao Ke possessed a vast fortune beyond that. It was an unexpected windfall, and he was so delighted that he nearly lost his head.

When he took the documents to Shao Ke, the two had a fierce argument in the study. The next day, Shao Ke stood atop the Shao Corporation building and jumped.

It felt as though someone were intermittently pricking his heart with a needle. When he read the book, he hadn't felt much beyond pity for the man.

Now that he was truly living in this world, Yan Ningke's grief and indignation could not have been greater.

Shao Ke should have been one of heaven's favored sons, yet his life had been brutally destroyed just to make the protagonist shine.

"Ningke, what are you doing here too?"

Shao Yang had come over at some point, his voice full of delighted surprise.

Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were very close.

Yan Ningke kept his eyelids lowered, not even giving him a proper glance. "Am I not allowed?"

Shao Yang faltered, then smiled. "Of course you are. I just didn't expect to see you here. I was calling you just now."

To be honest, Yan Ningke was one second away from throwing his phone!

He tapped the screen, checked that it really had been this guy, then immediately blocked and deleted him in one go!

What a pain!

He'd toss the phone and replace the SIM card as soon as he got back!

The sunlight was glaring, so Shao Yang didn't see what he had done and kept confidently playing innocent.

"Are you here to film too?"

Yan Ningke's tone was anything but pleasant. "What else? Am I here to pick up trash?"

Shao Yang's smile stiffened at the retort. He wanted to say more, but the assistant director called for filming to begin.

Yan Ningke called back and turned to run.

Watching his retreating figure, Shao Yang pressed his lips together, his gaze unreadable.

A makeup assistant asked tentatively, "Mr. Shao, do you know Yan Ningke?"

Remembering there were still people around, Shao Yang put his smile back on. "Yes, we're very good friends. He's also my... fan."

His voice wasn't particularly quiet, and everyone nearby heard him clearly.

Both a friend and a fan-it gave people plenty to speculate about.

Wendy had watched their exchange, and after Yan Ningke ran off, she promptly followed him.

"Ningke, you and that Shao Yang..."

Yan Ningke fired off three firm denials. "Don't know him. Not close. Nothing between us."

Wendy rolled her eyes at him. "I was just asking. Why are you so nervous?"

"I was worried you'd ask me to get his autograph for you."

He was afraid that seeing that hideous thing would make him throw up last night's dinner.

Wendy said, "Oh, please. I only like younger guys. Forget old men like him. They can't keep up physically and have to rely entirely on technique!"

Did she mean what he thought she meant?

With a look that said she had excellent taste, Yan Ningke gave her a thumbs-up.

He had no idea that in just a short while, rumors about him and Shao Yang had already spread through the crew.

Some said he was pursuing Shao Yang. Others said his unrequited love for Shao Yang had turned him into an anti-fan.

Still others said he was Shao Yang's little lover, that they had argued, and that Shao Yang had followed him here to coax him.

When Yan Ningke heard about it, he felt as though the sky had fallen!

"Who! Who exactly is spreading these rumors!"

Wendy's assistant shakily raised a hand. "Probably... Mr. Shao."

Yan Ningke looked over.

"He said himself that you were good friends, and that you were his... fan."

Yan Ningke's face turned green when he heard that.

He pulled out his phone and searched for ages before remembering that he had deleted the man in a fit of anger earlier.

He wanted to go find him, but unfortunately, he hadn't finished filming his scenes.

Holding back his anger, he finished his last scene and finally wrapped.

Everyone cheered and applauded for him. Zheng De even presented him with a bouquet. "Keep working hard at acting. You have a promising future."

Yan Ningke excitedly shook his hand. "Director, thank you."

His brief three-day journey ended with a "Cheese!"

Yan Ningke actually felt a little reluctant to leave.

Across both his lives, he seemed to have found recognition in an unfamiliar line of work. It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

A minor actor didn't get a wrap party, so Wendy arranged a small farewell meal for him.

A few people he had gotten along well with gathered for drinks.

Everyone except Yan Ningke had work the next day, so they kept it moderate.

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, they added one another on WeChat, said they would meet again, and went their separate ways.

Yan Ningke walked down the street alone. Gazing up at the moonlight overhead, he inexplicably thought of someone.